The Gold Series

Presented By: VisualCapitalist.com and GOLDCORP

This infographic, part one in our 2014 Gold Series, introduces the yellow metal and tells the story of how it became the most sought after metal on earth.

Gold was one of the first metals discovered by ancient peoples and eventually gold grew to symbolize both wealth, royalty, and immortality. Gold began to be used as money by many cultures, but the Romans were the first to use it widespread. The rarity, malleability, durability, ease to identify, and intrinsic value of gold made it perfect for money.

While many civilizations throughout the world used gold for money, eventually its role would change with the coming of the gold standard system. In modern history, gold was shaped by events such as Roosevelt’s confiscation order in 1933 and President Nixon ending the direct convertibility of gold to US dollars in 1971. Although gold is no longer the basis of the modern monetary system, there is more gold demand today than ever before.

This infographic, part two in our 2014 Gold Series, covers the full supply picture behind the yellow metal.

Within the planet’s crust, there is only 1 gram of gold for every 250 tonnes (550,000 lbs) of earth. Gold’s rarity means that finding economic deposits is extremely difficult. To understand how gold mining and supply work, we must first unearth how deposits form.

Over time, gold dissolves in hot water deep in the crust under immense pressure. It is then transported and deposited upwards as the water travels up cracks and fissures towards the surface. Generally, the major deposit types include: placer, volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), epithermal, porphyry, carlin-type, and orogenic deposits.